Promising Conifers

I keep a modest library at the nursery, those books that I consult (and/or plagiarize) frequently, while the best stuff – rare books , first editions etc. are kept at home. Unfortunately there are times when the right book is at the wrong place, and I'm not inclined to drive the half-hour round trip to go get it. Therefore I keep a copy of The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs at both locations, as well as a number of other references.

One "useful" book that stays at the nursery is on a shelf next to the coffee machine, and for the few minutes it takes to warm my joe I grab, as an example, the paperback copy of Promising Conifers, Part 1, that was prepared by the Dutch Conifer Society, for it is a handy encyclopedia with short descriptions along with a photo of each of some recommended conifer cultivars. "Part 1" implies that more publications were to follow, but to my knowledge none ever did, and already 12-15 years has passed. Six Dutchmen, four of whom I know, were the "composers," the guys who selected the 78 conifer cultivars that were interesting, or at least "promising" to them. Most of their choices I am familiar with, and I am currently producing them, or have in the past.

Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White'

Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White'

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

However, one surprising entry is Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White', a selection that was already well-established in the trade when I began my nursery 42 years ago. It originated as a seedling selected in the 1960s by Otto Gentsch of Long Island, New York, and was originally introduced with the invalid name of 'Variegata Gentsch'. Buchholz Nursery was one of the few sources of hemlock rooted cuttings at the beginning of my career and we certainly rooted thousands of the white-tipped dwarf. At one point, though, it fell out of favor and I don't even have one on the place anymore. Actually the hemlock party ended for most of the cultivars due to the East-coast spread of the non-native "hemlock woolly adelgid" (Adelges tsugae).

Tsuga canadensis 'Cole's Prostrate'

Tsuga canadensis 'Cole's Prostrate' at Arboretum Trompenburg

Another hemlock listed in the Dutch tome is an even older selection, Tsuga canadensis 'Cole' (aka 'Cole's Prostrate') which was found by Old King Cole in 1929, and then was introduced about 1938 by Gray and Cole Nursery of Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1938. It is a choice, prostrate dwarf, but is so slow as to be barely profitable, and is another that's no longer in our production. Oregon plants endure a more brutal summer than those in The Netherlands, and for us we must site 'Cole' with PM shade to prevent scorch while the happy specimen (above with my happy wife) proves that full sun is no problem at the Arboretum Trompenburg in Rotterdam. Notice in the accompanying photo that the center of 'Cole' is often bare of needles, allowing the gardener to admire the knucular bones of the horizontal branches.

Taxus baccata 'Green Column'

We learn that Taxus baccata 'Green Column' was found in 1968 by M. Bomer from Zundert, The Netherlands in a bed of seedlings. "'Green Column' has dark green, short, and very broad needles, and a stiff, pillar-shaped manner of growth. This characteristic explains the origin of its name." It is further described as "suitable for using in a cemetery."If that's an accolade which seems strange, you should know that generally European cemeteries are well-landscaped parks, and I think that many folks visit them to experience the peaceful surroundings, even if they are not attending to those contained therein. Conifers are often employed, not just in the general surroundings, but also atop each grave, where maybe 5 dwarf specimens are sited with some heathers. Some plantings are incongruous flubs, but others are well-schemed placements that are hopefully appreciated by the individual beneath. A cemetery, the Euros seem to indicate, need not be a statement of loss or finality, but rather the plantings – whether attended to by a landscape company, the cemetery itself, or by the loving descendants – can suggest hope for an eternity. I was deeply moved at a large graveyard near Hamburg, Germany that held a children's section, where lie many dozens of darling kinder who were not able to continue to potential. This old father of five healthy, aspiring offspring is tempted to negotiate an exchange of his remaining days so that those souls who were taken too soon could receive a few more moments with breath. An hour for an hour, a day for a day perhaps.

Taxus baccata 'Green Diamond'

Buchholz outstanding in his field

Another cemetery adornment, according to Promising Conifers, is the yew Taxus baccata 'Green Diamond' where "The original plant was found in 1970 as a five-year-old seedling on the nursery of Mr. J. Philipsen in Horst-America, Netherlands." I don't know the Horst-Americalocale in Holland, or why such a name. Horst in German means "wood" or "thicket." In any case 'Green Diamond' was given an adequate English name and was introduced in 1990 by Wiel Linssen, one of the six Dutchmen who compiled Promising Conifers. Its cemetery qualification is because 'Green Diamond' grows only to "30 cm (11.8") tall by 35-40cm (13.8-15.7") wide in 10 years." It's another conifer that's no longer in our production, not so much because of its slow rate of growth, but because it is also prone to bolt and revert with aggressive new growth. Then what do you have – after waiting five-to-six years to achieve grapefruit size? Much can be lost when you throw out the 20% that revert, or at least that many do at Buchholz Nursery. An old adage states that there are two certainties about life: death and taxes, but soil-grubbing nurserymen like to substitute the wit with death and Taxus; and I too chuckled when I first heard the refrain, but a thousand times later I can only groan. A little more clever is a description of me, that Old Buchholz is out standing in his field...but he'll come in at dinner time.

Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Little Stan'

Nelis Kools holding Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Little Stan'

Another entry, also by one of the "Six Dutch" compilers, is Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Little Stan' which was discovered as a seedling by Nelis Kools of Deurne, The Netherlands, and was named for his nephew. The interesting dwarf selection is defined by juvenile foliage, blue-gray-green in color, but unfortunately prone to winter burn. We have never grafted 'Little Stan' as I suspect a vigorous rootstock could push it out of its miniature status, but fortunately it roots readily. Its amazing to contemplate that Sequoiadendron is the most massive tree on earth, yet 'Little Stan' is one of the smallest of all conifers. It's also interesting that Mr. Kools holds the Dutch national collection of Sequoia, Sequoiadendron and Metasequoia -- or at least used to -- but they are assembled on a relatively small plot of land. He has given me starts of many wonderful plants, for example Metasequoia 'North Light' (aka 'Schirrmann's Nordlicht'), while I gave him a start of our introduction M. 'Miss Grace'. One of the highlights of my career was to accompany Nelis on his first trip to California (almost 20 years ago) where we walked under the forest giants. About the huge redwoods, Nelis was at first speechless, but finally muttered, "They really are big."

Juniperus squamata 'Floreant'

Juniperus squamata 'Floreant'

Juniperus squamata 'Floreant'

I was a little surprised with the inclusion of Juniperus squamata 'Floreant', a squat, evergreen ball that was discovered in Boskoop, The Netherlands in 1991. It originated as a twig mutation on J. s. 'Blue Star' and features creamy-yellow variegation; when introduced it was given the name of 'Floreant', the name of a Boskoop soccer club. Promising Conifersmentions its problems: "The yellow-white parts can get sun stains during the summer. Sharp afternoon sunlight should be avoided. After a long period of rain there can be some mold growth. It is important that the plant dry up quickly. The 'cleaning-up' is also very important with this plant." And later: "Finding the right place for it can be a challenge." Indeed, it does not prosper in our greenhouse environment, and the "sun-stain" problem is actually less damaging when grown outside in full sun. Yes, it's a weak freak, but we find it much stronger when grafted up on a rootstock such as J. scopulorum 'Skyrocket', rather than propagated on its own roots, or, as the Dutch say: "When grafted onto a stem it looks very fine. This cultivar is a plant for the lovers of the species* and can really stand out."

*For the record, no one is a "lover of the species." I have seen J. squamata in the wild in northeastern Nepal, growing as a sprawling shrub with lots of dead portions. I consider it one of the most ugly conifer species on earth, and I think the Dutch authors really mean a "lover" of some of the cultivar selections of J. squamata, such as 'Blue Star', 'Blue Carpet' etc.

Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret'

Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret'

I first encountered Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret' at Libo Nursery in The Netherlands while on the American Conifer Society's tour of Germany and Holland in the fall of 2000. I was struck by its compact, upright habit and its soft, lush foliage, and until that day I had never even heard of it. I was with a group of about 30 American coneheads, but understandably after visiting about a dozen plant collections in four days, a few older women elected to stay on the bus while their zealous husbands cavorted with conifers. At one point a woman left the bus whereupon she discovered the 'Peve Minaret' and passionately stroked the foliage, then she hurried back to the bus and convinced the others to join in the fun. None of the ladies were much interested in conifers; they were on the tour just as an excuse to visit Europe and to make sure that their spouses behaved. I supposed that if four old ladies couldn't keep their hands off the tree, then it was a cultivar I should grow.

Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret' at Vergeldt Nursery

Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret'

Later I saw a row of 'Peve Minaret' at Vergeldt Nursery in Lottum, Netherlands, and owner Piet V. was the discoverer. Originally it was thought to be a dwarf cultivar, but the size and compact habit was really a function of Vergeldt cutting lots of scionwood. My first start is 19 years old I reckon, and it's already 30' tall, so not so dwarf. It didn't take long for 'Peve Minaret' to catch on in America, and one grower from southeast USA offered me a "considerable discount" if I took all 7,000 of his one-gallon plants. I declined because I was already growing 300 per year, about my sales limit. It is so easy to propagate that a few years ago I took it out of production, stepping aside to let the bottom feeders fight for sales.

Cedrus deodara 'Feelin Blue'

Cedrus deodara 'Feelin Blue'

Cedrus deodara 'Feelin Blue'

Another page in Promising Conifersis Cedrus deodara 'Feelin Blue', and I have to applaud Trimp and Zonen in Boskoop, Netherlands who introduced it in 1986 and who presumably gave it the catchy name. Dutch growers are adept merchants who frequently name their selections in English – the universal language (whether you like it or not). I first saw it in a German planting (photo above) where it was effectively used in a heather garden. The Dutch description adds: "This semi-dwarf can be used for many purposes in the garden but its ornamental value really shows when hanging over a wall or over some rocks." Since most growers allow 'Feelin Blue' to remain spreading, I try to be unique by staking up a leader, resulting in a dense mound. My method produces a wonderful weeping evergreen, or at least in the short run, but after about 20 years I'll admit that my original specimen is less elegantly pendulous. Maybe a planting of a "family" of them would be interesting.

Pinus contorta 'Frisian Gold' at Jeddeloh Nursery

Pinus contorta 'Frisian Gold'

Friesland, Netherlands

Pinus contorta 'Frisian Gold' is described as "A rare find with needles that have a beautiful yellow color throughout the year." It originated as a witch's broom around 1962 on a green Pinus contorta at Tree Nursery Zu Jeddeloh in Germany. It is rather irregular in habit, while sometimes it is more wide than tall, or the other way around. It has a soft, glowing color but is very dwarf. The Dutch lament is that "'Frisian Gold' can be used in different places, but will always be a real lovers and collectors plant because multiplication by grafting is very difficult."In my experience I use Pinus contorta var. latifolia rootstock, and with excellent, sturdy current-year scions a good grafter can achieve 90% take, but with scrappy older wood the results will be poor. In Oregon it requires PM shade, even if that makes the gold less intense. The original is still growing at Jeddeloh, and it's interesting that they choose to keep the original green tree still attached. But I saw it ten years ago, so I'm not certain if it's still in their display garden. I also don't know why it was given the moniker of 'Frisian Gold', but one must assume that it was discovered in Friesland, the northern portion of low-land Holland. A German intern at Buchholz Nursery once informed me that the Frieslanders are peculiarly known to have wipers on the inside of their car's windshield because the rustic drivers spit-sputter with glee when the have both hands on the steering wheel...

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Green Arrow'

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Green Arrow'

I guess I'll finish this blog with Xantocyparis [sic] nootkatensis 'Green Arrow' which should be spelled Xanthocyparis, while for the sake of marketing I'll probably finish my career (the way I started) by calling it Chamaecyparis nootkatensis. The recently-coined name of Xanthyocyparis is derived from Greek xanthos meaning "yellow" and cyparis which refers to "cypress."Indeed, both the West-coast native nootkatensis and the Asian vietnamensis are commonly known as "yellow cedars." I have the Asian version, gifted to me by the Rhododendron Species Botanic Garden, and my little specimen, just a few years old, displays entirely juvenile foliage, while the older tree at the RSBG displays both juvenile and adult foliage. The recent Asian discovery (1999) is not particularly attractive, at least to me, but the world's plantsmen enthuse over it due to botanical interest, i.e. a BIO plant. I suppose one day there'll be dwarf or variegated or particularly pendulous version of X. vietnamensis, and wouldn't it be amazing if a narrow, pillar-form, such as 'Green Arrow' should arise?

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Green Arrow'

Promising Conifers correctly attributes the discovery and naming of 'Green Arrow' to the late Gordon Bentham of British Columbia – while many in the trade assume I did so; but my only involvement was to introduce it to horticulture, and perhaps I have grafted and/or rooted more starts of it than any other company on earth. No big deal – I was just the right person at the right time, and I've made a handsome profit over the years with its introduction.

I have an extra copy of Promising Conifers that I offer to donate at no charge to someone who can give me an interesting or encouraging reason to do so. I'll give you a week to convince me that you really want it, and we'll all cheer if an earnest student of horticulture becomes its recipient.